ANI1. A sex pheromone-induced gene in ceratopteris gametophytes and its possible role in sex determination.
(9/1066)
Antheridiogen (ACE) is a pheromone that is required for the development of male gametophytes in the homosporous fern Ceratopteris richardii. Subtractive hybridization of cDNAs isolated from ACE-treated and non-ACE-treated gametophytes was used to isolate genes that are induced by the pheromone. The expression of one gene, ANI1 (for antheridiogen induced), was induced within 3 hr of ACE treatment, but its expression was transient. Patterns of ANI1 expression in wild-type and mutant gametophytes show that ANI1 expression inversely correlates with the predicted activity of one of the sex-determining genes, TRANSFORMER5 (TRA5). These data suggest that ANI1 transcription or transcript accumulation is directly or indirectly prevented by TRA5 in the absence of ACE and that ACE inactivates the TRA5 gene or its product, leading to the upregulation of ANI1. Cycloheximide (no ACE) induced the expression of ANI1, also indicating that ANI1 expression is subject to negative regulation in the absence of ACE. The sequence and inferred protein structure of ANI1 suggest that it is a novel, extracellular protein. The secreted portion of the ANI1 protein potentially forms a beta barrel with superficial similarities to lipocalins, which bind small hydrophobic molecules such as pheromones, steroids, and odorants. ANI1 may be an extracellular carrier of ACE that is required to initiate the male program of development as the sexual fate of the young gametophyte is determined. (+info)
Oxidative damage to plant DNA in relation to growth conditions.
(10/1066)
In this study we investigated the level of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) in DNA of Cardamine pratensis plants subjected to different growth conditions trying to answer the question whether factors like light and water accessibility or low temperature may have an impact on the total DNA oxidative damage. The level of this modified nucleoside was determined using HPLC coupled to UV absorbance and electrochemical detection (HPLC-UV-EC). We did not observe any statistically significant differences in 8-oxodG level between DNA of etiolated and light exposed plants as well as between DNA of regularly watered and drought-subjected plants. In contrast, we have shown that chilling (1 degree C for 28 h) brings about the increase of 8-oxodG level in DNA. (+info)
The aerodynamics and hydrodynamics of plants.
(11/1066)
Because they grow away from their substratum to compete for light, plants have to withstand hydrodynamic or aerodynamic drag. Both water and land plants reconfigure in response to this drag, and this is presumed to reduce the risk of mechanical failure. However, there is little unequivocal evidence of drag reduction in large trees as a result of reconfiguration. Land plants must also transport water internally to their tissues, and many have developed xylem tracheids and vessels that help speed up this process. Recent evidence that tree height is limited by water supply suggests that water transport efficiency must be a crucial element in tree design. However, the resistance of many parts of the xylem is still unknown. More focused work is urgently required to shed light on the evolution and ecology of plants in relation to the flow of fluids. (+info)
Purification, cloning, and heterologous expression of a catalytically efficient flavonol 3-O-galactosyltransferase expressed in the male gametophyte of Petunia hybrida.
(12/1066)
Flavonols are plant-specific molecules that are required for pollen germination in maize and petunia. They exist in planta as both the aglycone and glycosyl conjugates. We identified a flavonol 3-O-galactosyltransferase (F3GalTase) that is expressed exclusively in the male gametophyte and controls the formation of a pollen-specific class of glycosylated flavonols. Thus an essential step to understanding flavonol-induced germination is the characterization of F3GalTase. Amino acid sequences of three peptide fragments of F3GalTase purified from petunia pollen were used to isolate a full-length cDNA clone. RNA gel blot analysis and enzyme assays confirmed that F3GalTase expression is restricted to pollen. Heterologous expression of the F3GalTase cDNA in Escherichia coli yielded active recombinant enzyme (rF3GalTase) which had the identical substrate specificity as the native enzyme. Unlike the relatively nonspecific substrate usage of flavonoid glycosyltransferases from sporophytic tissues, F3GalTase uses only UDP-galactose and flavonols to catalyze the formation of flavonol 3-O-galactosides. Kinetic analysis showed that the k(cat)/K(m) values of rF3GalTase, using kaempferol and quercetin as substrates, approaches that of a catalytically perfect enzyme. rF3GalTase catalyzes the reverse reaction, generation of flavonols from UDP and flavonol 3-O-galactosides, almost as efficiently as the forward reaction. The biochemical characteristics of F3GalTase are discussed in the context of a role in flavonol-induced pollen germination. (+info)
Intra-ring variability of Cr, As, Cd, and Pb in red oak revealed by secondary ion mass spectrometry: implications for environmental biomonitoring.
(13/1066)
Reconstructing the history of ambient levels of metals by using tree-ring chemistry is controversial. This controversy can be resolved in part through the use of selective microanalysis of individual wood cells. Using a combination of instrumental neutron activation analysis and secondary ion mass spectrometry, we have observed systematic inhomogeneity in the abundance of toxic metals (Cr, As, Cd, and Pb) within annual growth rings of Quercus rubra (red oak) and have characterized individual xylem members responsible for introducing micrometer-scale gradients in toxic metal abundances. These gradients are useful for placing constraints on both the magnitude and the mechanism of heavy metal translocation within growing wood. It should now be possible to test, on a metal-by-metal basis, the suitability of using tree-ring chemistries for deciphering long-term records of many environmental metals. (+info)
ABI3 affects plastid differentiation in dark-grown Arabidopsis seedlings.
(14/1066)
The Arabidopsis ABSCISIC ACID-INSENSITIVE3 (ABI3) protein has been identified previously as a crucial regulator of late seed development. Here, we show that dark-grown abi3 plants, or abi3 plants returned to the dark after germination in the light, developed and maintained an etioplast with a prominent prolamellar body at developmental stages in which the wild type did not. Overexpression of ABI3 led to the preservation of the plastid ultrastructure that was present at the onset of darkness. These observations suggest that ABI3 plays a role in plastid differentiation pathways in vegetative tissues. Furthermore, the analysis of deetiolated (det1) abi3 double mutants revealed that DET1 and ABI3 impinge on a multitude of common processes. During seed maturation, ABI3 required DET1 to achieve its full expression. Mature det1 abi3 seeds were found to be in a highly germinative state, indicating that germination is controlled by both DET1 and ABI3. During plastid differentiation in leaves of dark-grown plants, DET1 is required for the action of ABI3 as it is during seed development. Together, the results suggest that ABI3 is at least partly regulated by light. (+info)
The ROOT MERISTEMLESS1/CADMIUM SENSITIVE2 gene defines a glutathione-dependent pathway involved in initiation and maintenance of cell division during postembryonic root development.
(15/1066)
Activation of cell division in the root apical meristem after germination is essential for postembryonic root development. Arabidopsis plants homozygous for a mutation in the ROOT MERISTEMLESS1 (RML1) gene are unable to establish an active postembryonic meristem in the root apex. This mutation abolishes cell division in the root but not in the shoot. We report the molecular cloning of the RML1 gene, which encodes the first enzyme of glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, and which is allelic to CADMIUM SENSITIVE2. The phenotype of the rml1 mutant, which was also evident in the roots of wild-type Arabidopsis and tobacco treated with an inhibitor of GSH biosynthesis, could be relieved by applying GSH to rml1 seedlings. By using a synchronized tobacco cell suspension culture, we showed that the G(1)-to-S phase transition requires an adequate level of GSH. These observations suggest the existence of a GSH-dependent developmental pathway essential for initiation and maintenance of cell division during postembryonic root development. (+info)
Selection for intermediate mortality and reproduction rates in a spatially structured population.
(16/1066)
How local interactions influence both population and evolutionary dynamics is currently a key topic in theoretical ecology. We use a 'well-mixed' analytical model and spatially explicit individual-based models to investigate a system where a population is subject to rare disturbance events. The disturbance can only propagate through regions of the population where the density of individuals is sufficiently high and individuals affected by the disturbance die shortly after. We find that populations where individuals are sessile often exhibit very different dynamic behaviour when compared to populations where individuals are mobile and spatially well mixed. When mutations are allowed which affect either offspring birth rates or mortality rates, the well-mixed populations always evolve to a state where a single disturbance event leads to extinction. Populations often persist substantially longer if individuals are sessile and they disperse their offspring locally. We also find that for sessile populations selection may favour short-lived individuals with limited offspring production. Population dynamics are found to be strongly influenced by the host characters that are evolving and the rate at which host variation is introduced into the system. (+info)